


On Stone Rooftops

by haikyuu_ukes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gargoyle!Levi, GargoyleAU, M/M, Omegaverse, ereri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23564344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haikyuu_ukes/pseuds/haikyuu_ukes
Summary: Humans are bloodthirsty, vile creatures that Levi has spent his entire life trying to keep far away from himself, his territory, and his pack. He’s earned a reputation, stories of his ruthlessness spreading across all of the known world. So, why did some airhead prince show up, trying to restore Levi’s castle to greatness? Does he not know of the horrific things Levi does to idiotic men like him? And why would Levi feel the need to protect this stupid human?
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 11
Kudos: 41





	1. And So It Fell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hearing and seeing comments, so please feel free to let me know how you like the work so far! Also, if there’s any good gargoyle AU stuff out there pleaSE let me know because I dESPERATELY want it!!!! 
> 
> I originally was inspired to write this by the Disney cartoon Gargoyles. My boyfriend made me watch it when we both got sinus infections earlier this year, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the possibility of a rather steamy Ereri version of it ever since!
> 
> Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoy this fanfic!

Here I am, time and time again fighting for these worthless little worms. They’re useless. All they do is expect my kind to protect them. What do we even owe them? The only reason we stay is because the mates in our pack nest under the castle, but I think that reason is a weak one at best. I don’t understand it. We’d be safer on our own, not being exposed during the day, and not being so easily spotted on top of some castle wall. We should live in caves or on cliffs, but somehow the humans roped our ancestors into cohabitating. I suppose that may be a human’s only strong suit, taking advantage of others.

The incoming waves of soldiers continued coming closer, so after finishing my internal dialogue I leapt from my perch and prepared for a fight. Humans always seem to be itching for it. They always assume we’re the bloodthirsty ones, but we aren’t the ones building weapons or machines solely for the purpose of destroying our own kind.

The castle walls stood strong behind me as I landed on the ground, thick layers of moss cushioning my taloned feet. This castle had stood longer than even I had, before my mother even. The protection of this castle had been passed down my line for generations, and I would continue to protect it, regardless of the weaklings that call it their home. I have no respect for those who live in and control this castle, they die so easily and live so frivolously. Nothing that they do is for any good reason. But, I do respect the way the castle stands tall and proud, despite the idiocy of its occupants. It is unwavering to whoever lays siege to it, and stands steadfast. It does not care about their battles or wars, it simply stands.

Humans always falter when they first lay eyes on me. You can’t even blame them, really. Packs of my kind are few and far between, living only in the oldest, strongest of castles. We are monsters, only spoken about in storybooks that children forget about as soon as they become men. If only they knew to listen to their grandmothers’ warnings.

Since their movement had stilled, I began mine. I rushed towards them on foot, unsettling the beautiful swirls and waves in the grass and dirt on my way. As I came closer, they feebly raised their swords and spears. The poor souls had no idea their weapons would do nothing to me. I spread my wings once I was upon them, sure to inspire fear deep within their bones.

They begged, as they always do. They screamed, and tried to run. They always do. They want to live, just like me, and I can’t blame them for that. Life whispers in all of our ears to keep living, at any costs. It is merciless taunting that we can do nothing to satisfy. If only humans knew how to keep to themselves and not selfishly seek what isn’t theirs, then maybe they would satisfy that instinct for just a little while longer. Instead, the bellies of my kind remain full with their worthless flesh. My claws ripped easily though their leather clothing, and their stone weapons did no damage to my impenetrable skin.

When I was done and satisfied that there was nothing left of their troops, I began to make my way back to my castle. The sun was coming up, and I would need to return to my post before morning arrived. My pack would likely be waiting for me to take my place next to my mother on the highest pinnacle of the tower.

I admired the beautiful plants and the dew forming on their leaves. They sparkled in the moonlight, and their beauty made me happy. I almost envied their love of the sun, the warmth of which I would never feel on my skin. I sometimes grew angry that I could never see the forest in all of its beauty during the day. Even in my envy, however, I was thankful for the moon that shone so brightly above me. It always guided my kind, and I look to it for wisdom every night. The moon is always changing, but she stays strong through every shift. Tomorrow is to be a full moon, and both the moon goddess and our kind will be at our strongest. She is a fierce leader, controlling the tides and the winds, through all difficulty and changes she remains steadfast. I hope to one day be able to be a leader like that, but I don’t know if I ever will be. My mother is; she is gracious and kind and able to adapt to whatever the humans come up with. I’m meant to take her place as leader in just a few years time, but I could never fill her place. The humans annoy me to no end, and I don’t have half of the patience that she has.

I carried on my journey back to the castle, strolling and enjoying nature that surrounds our ancient castle. The wind whistled by me, but it carried a foul smell in it. More Soldiers. I could smell the metal on their bodies. The fear and excitement seeping from their pores. The human body really is a disgusting thing.

With this new, more threatening scent surrounding me, I took to the sky to see what was happening. There were hundreds of men. They had clothes of metal and weapons I had never seen before. I knew I would have to warn my pack to go into hiding before the sun shone its blinding face, but I wouldn’t be able to make it in time. I would be turned to stone long before I could reach every member of the pack. All I can do is hope that the wind would carry the threatening smell to them before their skin hardened as well. I pushed forward until I felt the tightening of my skin, a sign that I would soon turn, as I did every morning. I had to land, or risk crashing to the ground and shattering. I landed in a tree, cursing the sun for making me hide myself away, and turned completely to stone, sensing nothing but the darkness of sleep.

When I awoke that evening after the sun had set, I was overwhelmed by the smell of smoke, fear and blood. I knew then that what I would find in the castle would be terrible, there was no other explanation for the powerful scents in the air. I flew towards it’s proud walls, and saw what was left of my pack’s castle.

The eastern wall had been breached, a large portion of it torn down and left open. The battle seemed to be over, but the men wearing metal still gathered in the bailey. They stood around a pile of rubble, rubble that didn’t match that of the stone that built these walls. I flew closer to see if it was true, and it was even worse than I imagined. Whenever I flew low, the scent of my mother wafted towards me. I roared then, something our kind did only rarely, showing my uncontrollable rage. I bared my teeth and picked up one of the men, crushing them with my talons. I screamed and desperately called for my pack, for my mother, to come to be. My mother did not come. I threw the men to the side, my claws catching on their strange clothing. I opted to crush those under my feet, trapping their poor, soft bodies in that which was meant to protect them. I felt lost without her. My body was no longer driven by thought, instead overrun with the need for revenge.

These men tried to fight back, but stood no match for a beast like me. They wanted to talk to me, to reason or barter. Whatever they wanted I didn’t care. All I saw was red and hatred and I would kill them all. I called for my pack one last time, feeling lost and forlorn without anyone in the world. But, this time some came. Two of my packmates came to my side, and I thanked the moon goddess that I had not lost everyone. With their help, I finished off the rest of the men. We left no survivors from their troop.

I howled in pain as I checked the rubble. It was my mother, fallen during her only vulnerable time. My pack told me of her valor, that she took everyone to the nursery which lied underneath the castle. She appointed the Alphas to lead if anything would go wrong, and then left to fight with the castle guards. They said that morning came just moments after she left them.

When the rest of the pack emerged from underground, they kneeled before me, accepting me as their leader. I knew it was my place; I had to do this for my mother. But this isn’t how I was meant to succeed. She was meant to pass it onto me. We were meant to perform the ceremony on the cliffs as had been done for generations. This was no peaceful succession however. My mother was torn from her place as leader by humans obsessed with bloodlust. Not one more would step foot in this castle.

I ordered the alphas to sweep the castle and kill any remaining humans, regardless of what castles’ insignia they wore. Mankind was no longer welcomed in our territory. Human relationships and alliances were of no value to me or my pack.  
I walked the halls of the castle, most of the humans had already been killed or fled when the walls were first infiltrated. I saw the princess’s door ajar, no doubt having been raided by those disgusting soldiers. I went into the room to find the princess and several handmaidens slain. When I went to leave the room, a sniffle halted my steps.

I turned around and moved the curtain from the window, revealing a small boy holding the body of who must have been his mother. His eyes went wide when he noticed that he was no longer hidden under the curtain’s cover. He did not beg like the others, but maybe that was because he was only a child and did not yet understand death. I thought of killing him, just like the rest, but he was only a child. I decided that I would let him leave, to tell the story of our kind, and keep foreign soldiers away from our castle. He would be the one and only survivor to slip from my grasp.

The boy walked south from the castle, the nearest kingdom was just a few days’ walk. He was old enough to make it on his own, no doubt. But I still worry for him, nonetheless. The rest of my life, I have worried, and I can’t really even explain why. I knew when I saw him that he needed to go free. That I needed to be merciful, just this once.

—-

“And centuries passed. The forest surrounding the castle slowly but surely engulfed it; trees even grew in the inner yard. The castle was lost to the forest, and only the very peaks of its towers can be seen over the treetops. And legend has it, the leviathan still stalks the forest surrounding the castle, killing any human who dare step foot onto his land!”

“Levi! Levi!” A young boy said. His eyes sparkled looking up at his father, filled with wonder about the monsters and beasts that roamed the woods.

“The Leviathan lives underwater, dear. Gargoyles are the beasts that you’re speaking of! Long ago, they lived on castles’ walls. They were fierce warriors who protected the castles by night, but became stone through the day.” A young woman said, correcting her husband.

“But, whats happen to the boy?” The little brunette asked his mother, the same wonder in his voice despite his father feeling rather dejected about having his story corrected.

“The boy,” his mother continued, “traveled to the nearest kingdom. He became a merchant and sailed to the other side of the world. There, he met a beautiful heiress and had a child, your great-great grandfather. Eventually, your father was born, and he fell madly in love with a princess. Now, here we are. A lovely family on the thrown of Shiganshina. And you, my daring prince, must go to bed now. That was quite a long story for a young prince! Sleep well, my love.”

With that the boys parents blew out the candles and left his room, retiring to their own. But the brunette’s imagination didn’t stop, keeping him awake for hours and hours dreaming about the castle and ‘Levi’ who lies within it. He made up his mind that he would find the castle, and meet the beast one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, anyone excited for all of the foreshadowing to come to fruition!?


	2. Tales Uncovered

The sun shone brightly through the young prince’s window on this particular morning. It was a rare thing to have a sunny day in this kingdom; there always seemed to be thick clouds in the sky, continuously threatening rain. Most people weren’t bothered by it, but the young prince was. On this day, however, he would’ve given anything to be able to just stay asleep through the entire day. It seemed both his parents and the sun had other plans for him. 

“Rise and shine young master! The day is finally here! You’ll be able to meet your stunning bride and-“ the maid was cut off then by the prince throwing a pillow at her.

“I don’t care, I will not be going.” He said, resolutely. He would not put on some royal outfit to show some rich girl around the palace, only to then be forced to become engaged to her. His parents had tried to set up these meetings before, but since he was younger then he was able to wiggle his way out of them. But now, he had no hope. He was far past the age when he was expected to be engaged. In fact, he would be getting married soon if he had followed the path of his parents and grandparents. The brunette prince huffed and fell back into bed.

The maid‘s eyes softened “Oh, Prince Eren, everything will be alright. She is a nice young lady, beautiful too! She’ll take good care of you and the kingdom, and she’ll give you a lovely heir!”

Prince Eren almost wanted to cry at that point. No one understood that he wasn’t ready; that he hadn’t even lived yet! He couldn’t imagine settling down with some girl, taking over the kingdom, let alone having children. His whole life, he was barely allowed to leave the castle. He had only been into the kingdom a handful of times, instead his parents cooped him up inside and made him read. They were horrified when they found out that he had been learning combat skills and training with his men, but it was all that he found comfort in. He had to live, he had to do something. There was always a pulling, an itch, just below his skin that he needed to go. He needed to find  _ something. _

“Well, my prince, I will leave your clothes here, so that you may get dressed as soon as you are ready,” the maid said before she hurried away, not wanting to anger the poor prince anymore.

The prince sat up once she left, happy to be finally alone. His tanned skin was exposed down to his hips, which were covered by his sleeping pants. He knew his mother would be upset finding out he slept without the sleeping shirts that his grandmother made for him, but they were way too small for his widened frame. His parents kept the fact that he trained with his guards a strict secret. Why that was, he didn’t know, but he didn’t care as long as he was able to keep doing it. 

He felt bored, all of the time. His room was lush and filled with intricate craftsmanship, which he appreciated but just didn’t understand. What was the point in being surrounded by such things? They were useless and didn’t provide any teaching or experience. They were just… purple? 

Pelts and mounted animals killed by his father and grandfather hung on the walls. The prince thought it was brutal to just display the animals like this, not even make use of their pelts or meat. The curtains that hung from his windows had intricate patterns on them and flapped gently in the spring breeze. His mother had picked them out for him when he was a baby, loving the way that the patterns swirled and swayed to and fro. They were probably some of the most expensive fabrics in the room, but the brunette always loved a particular tapestry much more than he did any other item. His mother had tried to throw it out almost every time she came into the room and saw it, but he treasured it dearly. It was old and had moth holes in it, but the story written on it was still easily deciphered. 

It told a story, the first picture of which showed a beast on a castle wall, living with humans on the inside of the castle. The next showed the humans running from the castle where the beast still stood. The third showed the castle, aged and worn, but a man coming to the castle. The fourth was a picture of the castle returned to its beautiful state, but perhaps even bigger, taller, and stronger. The man stood alone then, however. The king had always told him that a man would vanquish the beast and reclaim the land. He told his son the story of the tapestry, which had been passed down for generations. As a boy, the prince even gave the blue, winged beast the nickname ‘Levi’. It all seemed silly now, but he was still drawn to the stitched images somehow. 

After staring into the eyes of the blue stitches for far too long, Eren forced himself to stand to start getting ready for the long day ahead. He walked across the polished marble floors of his chambers, to the bathroom that a joined his room. The servants left him fresh buckets of water every morning, drawn directly from the pools on a nearby mountain. The water was then warmed by a small fire in his bathroom, always kept burning during the cooler months. The prince splashed his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Water dripped down his tanned skin and a stray beam of sunlight cut across the lower half of his face. He felt lost, unable to find a meaning in this world.

The prince wracked his brain, trying to find some way to live his life the way that he wanted to. He desperately wanted to be free. If only he could grow wings and fly far away from this kingdom to find his own home.

And that was when the idea struck him. He would leave the castle that night, under the cover of dark, and find the winged creature that spared his great-great-great grandfather. 

After Prince Eren made this decision, he found it much easier to motivate himself to get ready for the day. After all, all he had to do was be a gracious host, get his parents off of his back, and then he would be free. While he was throwing on his white, button-up undershirt, a realization hit him. He had no idea where this place even was. He knew that his thrice great grandfather had travelled a long way in order to find his bride, but where did he come from? Why must his parents always leave out the most important details of the story?

The prince decided he would win his parents favor by being the perfect suitor for the girl, and surely that evening they would surely answer any question that he asked. 

He struggled his way through the remaining buttons on his shirt and jacket, and made his way from his chambers to the dining hall to eat breakfast with his parents. This day would be the first step to finding his way to his family’s origins. It would be the first step to finding a place where he could make his own history. All he wanted was to be something other than the precious prince, who everyone thought of as a pretty boy. He would find his own identity.

Marching confidently downstairs, he made his way towards the dining hall, knowing that his parents would be there to discuss the day’s events with him. He knew how much of a drag it would be to show some silly princess around the castle. His parents married for love, but unfortunately, since he hadn’t yet produced a future queen, his parents took it upon themselves to introduce him to every eligible princess under the sun’s watchful eyes. He knew that though this meeting was the first, there were already many more planned over the next few months. The prince knew that his parents likely wanted news of an heir before next spring arrived. 

These thoughts bogged his mind somewhat, but he carried on nonetheless, having faith that his idea would carry him on to a new life; his own life. 

Breakfast was the same lavish exchange that the prince had become accustomed to over his rather spoiled life. Most people of the kingdom only dreamed of eating half of the things that the palace was supplied with daily.

“Are you excited to meet the first of your potential princesses?” The queen asked. She was obviously very excited, but Prince Eren was anything but. 

The Prince fought to hide his disgust, coughing and choking a little on the danish he had had in his mouth at the time. “Of course I am!” He said, still sputtering from the danish, “It will be… lovely! Absolutely lovely to show her around the castle and discuss our kingdoms! I will be-I’ll be able to learn more about neighboring lands!” 

“Yes, of course you will, son. This is a very big day for you, I trust that you’ll be kind and polite to the young princess. Her name is-“ The king began, but quickly lost the prince’s attention. His mind wandered elsewhere as his father kept speaking.

“She will have traveled across oceans and mountains to come and visit you! This will be delightful!” 

“Across oceans? Like my thrice great grandfather? Did she come from where he came from? Where is his-” Prince Eren gushed excitedly. 

The queen interrupted, saying, “Now, this isn’t a time for such stories. That was just a bedtime story that has been passed down in your father’s family. The story has no merit, and now isn’t more than a bedtime story. The man could’ve come from anywhere for all we know.” 

“But all stories, especially those passed down for generations, deserve to be told. My father always said that his great grandfather traveled from the northwest. He said that the man had fought beats, dragons, and sailed through the sirens’ temptation. I just never told you the more gruesome stories, I knew that your mother would kill me. Now that you’re old enough, I will teach you our family’s legend. Tonight in my study I can record the stories for your children to have when they have sleepless nights. If they’re anything like you, that will be often. I can also have some of the palace artists accompany my pages with their work, to entertain the young ones.” The king said, already summoning staff and giving them their orders.

——-

Whenever time finally came to welcome the girl, Prince Eren’s head was wandering in the clouds, hoping and praying his father would record the stories with some accuracy. At least enough to point him in the right direction. He did his duty in showing the princess around, but he tried desperately to make sure she wouldn’t want to stay there or to marry him. 

The young prince thought that the girl was beautiful, no doubt, but he couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life within these palace walls, especially not with these girls that seemed desperate for both their own and his family’s approval.

Finally, the time came for the princesses to leave for the evening. Eren practically sprinted to his father’s quarters. Although he was tired from the long day of tours around the palace and kingdom, he needed to hear what his father had to say. 

“I know that you remember some of the stories that I told you are a child, but today I will tell you everything. The exciting, the gruesome, and the boring alike. They are all important parts in knowing where we came from. Your favorite story was the first and most important one, the gargoyles. They were ruthless and vicious beasts, killing an entire kingdom and anyone that came across it; all except for your third great grandfather. He was but a boy at the time, but he made the journey and established himself in another kingdom. He was strong and he survived, and he continued to survive many more hardships along the path that fate had forged for him. Since then, few of us have experienced pain like he did. Our grandfathers were prosperous in trade, and now our kingdom is peaceful. I believe that his sacrifice has afforded us this luxury. For besides the gargoyles, he fought many more beasts, and he gained many more blessings. Countless tales could be shared of him, and many are told to small children and stories of his bravery and heroism, but he is our heritage. Sailing, and battling...” The king continues, telling Eren every detail that had been passed onto him. He showed his son the rest of the tapestries made in their family’s honor, and Eren memorized every detail that he could. 

King Grisha painted almost magical pictures of their ancestors’ trips across seas, the battles they fought, and their near escapes from death. Eren could almost feel the threads of a tapestry weaving themselves together, all coming together at one common place, himself. He needed to go to the place where his line was nearly wiped out, needed to see these monsters for himself. He needed to raise this old kingdom to its former glory, and rule it as the only surviving heir. He knew that this was his place. This was his calling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’ll probably meet next chapter so don’t be too mad that this one is boringg


End file.
